As early as 3 years old, I can remember having a keen awareness of the world around me. I knew things in a way that was mature and odd for a child. I was barely 4 years old when my mom entrusted me with a list of instructions to follow in case she got sick during her high-risk pregnancy with my brother. I was often asked by family and neighbors to babysit other children even though I was a child myself.
My mother recognized the early development of my intellect and nurtured it. She always made me explain the “why” of my thoughts, and never let me get away with “yes” or “no” answers. I was already a naturally expressive and creative kid who loved to climb trees, dig in dirt and wear combat boots with lace dresses. I wrote music nonstop in hopes that I would become a songwriter one day, and I changed my name from Roshawn to Roshawnna in 5th grade because my teacher said that girls’ names end with a vowel. I also like odd numbers so I added an additional ‘n’ to my name to make it 9 letters.
If it weren’t for my mom constantly encouraging me to articulate my ideas, I probably would have never learned to trust my voice the way I do today, when most women are discouraged from owning their opinions, values and power.
Trusting my voice is one of the core skills that has guided me through this journey of life. It allows me to connect my inner truths to my goals and ensure that my outcomes are what I truly desire. This is a practice I learned by adopting a few habits:
Set Intentions – The thoughts you think are true! Determine what it is that you want — Grow your business? Live a more balanced life? Buy a home? — and visualize yourself reaching those goals. Spending too much energy on what you don’t want or have is distracting and drains your motivation.
Appreciate the Process – Things that you’re now good at, you probably weren’t always good at them. I am terribly shy and used to have to do vodka shots before interviews and speaking engagements! After years of practice, I no longer do shots (I meditate) and feel a bit more at ease in the spotlight. Celebrate the growth you’ve made and acknowledge the time in your life when things didn’t come as easy as they do now.
Track Your Growth – I keep a journal where I document pretty much everything that goes on in my head — my highs and lows, my ideas and emotions. It’s often gratifying to look back at where I was at a certain point in my life and discover that despite a few disappointments, I am moving in the right direction and can cross off several incremental goals.
Have Faith – I firmly believe in manifestation and in changing your life no matter what the circumstances are. 2021 has been a year of reaching major milestones at EnrichHER – becoming a Certified B Corporation™, raising over $1M in venture capital, being featured in three national brand campaigns. I envisioned all of this 3 years ago even though, at the time, it felt nearly impossible to convince investors to believe in a Black woman-led fintech company. However, I remained faithful to my vision and my persistence eventually paid off.
Be Resilient – I sacrificed a lot — money, peace of mind, relationships — to make EnrichHER work. I was able to get through the rough times with the belief that things wouldn’t be like this forever. If you tell yourself that your current struggles are just a temporary sacrifice, it’s easier to persevere through the challenges.
The path to launching EnrichHER included a fair share of financial setbacks, anxiety and uncertainty, but I never stopped believing in the vision of this company: to connect women of color to business funding. Led by my inner voice and lessons learned from past experience, I know I am never lost on the journey toward my dreams.